Felician Sisters

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The Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice, or Felician Sisters, are one branch of the Third Order of St. Francis. The active-contemplative order was founded in Warsaw, Poland, in 1855, by Sophia Truszkowska, and named for a shrine of St. Felix, a 15th century Franciscan saint especially devoted to children. The Felician Sisters have always sought to harmonize a deep spiritual and community life with dedication to diverse acts of mercy. In North America, the Felician Sisters have ministered primarily to Polish Americans since their arrival from Poland in 1874. Their Foundress, Mother Mary Angela Truszkowska, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1993.

The Felician Sisters have generally been noted for their orthodoxy, which is perhaps most pronounced in the Kraków, Warsaw, and Przemyśl provinces in Poland, as well as the Livonia, Michigan and Enfield, Connecticut provinces in North America.

Most Felician Sisters maintain the religious garb of their Foundress, Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska, consisting of a brown habit (beige during summer months), scapular, (jacket at specified times), headdress, black veil, collar, Felician wooden crucifix suspended on tape or cord, and simple ring received at final profession.

As of the beginning of 2005, there were just under 2,000 professed members of the Felician Sisters. [1]